Archives for April 2013

The Coffee Compass exists to help you navigate the world of craft coffee. It just so happens that we live in Louisville, the home of the Kentucky Derby. If you’re in town for the Run for the Roses this year, we have a trifecta of coffee shops for you to visit, all surprisingly close to Churchill Downs.

Sunergos Coffee Espresso Bar and Roastery – Woodlawn

We love Sunergos. The business made its debut back in 2004 with the opening of its Preston location near UofL and now in 2013 has three Louisville locations. Their location closest to Churchill Downs, Sunergos Woodlawn, is nestled just south of the Watterson Expressway on a small business strip between 3rd street and Southern parkway. The shop is the main roasting headquarters and showcases what Sunergos is all about:

Throughout the life of Sunergos we have enjoyed participating in a diverse community of people who regularly come together around coffee. Out of the fabric of this daily coffee community, people have emerged to join us in our work, enriching and being enriched through working together. The work of Sunergos continues to grow as each person engages their craft, from the roastery to the espresso bar. – www.sunergoscoffee.com

The shop has a paddle-group La Marzocco Linea espresso machine, two Kompaq K10 grinders boasting one blend and one single origin espresso, manual pour-overs (Chemex or V60), and has two rotating Sunergos coffees on their Fetco automated drip brewer. There is plenty of seating and depending on how far away you park for Derby events, might just be within walking distance!…

The diversity of coffee gear is vast and entices a certain discontentment among coffee aficionados. This pining for the latest brew device begins as a peaked interest in a friend’s home coffee setup and progresses to symptoms of unceasing blog surfing, café hopping, and in extreme cases, visiting a coffee trade show. You might find that coffee junkie persona coming from your folks here at the Coffee Compass, but we find ways to satisfy the hunger through novel and innovative brewing techniques.

Enter the VChemSexy.

V60 + Chemex + Sexy = VChemSexy. Just take a look at this photo above. My wife took this pic and it’s …

Empire State of Coffee

The Empire State building dominates the the Manhattan Skyline, but a good cup of coffee in Midtown is a little harder to spot. In an area of town largely dominated by department stores, Culture Espresso is a little miracle on 38th Street.

Although they recently switched to Heart Coffee Roasters, when I visited, Culture was serving Sightglass Coffee from San Francisco. I’ve been consistently impressed by Sightglass since I visited their roastery, and opportunities to enjoy their coffee on the East Coast are rare. Manhattan cafes are dominated by …

Joe’s Pro Shop: A Toy Store For Coffee Nerds

Many of the most iconic films in movie history take place in New York. Annie Hall, The Godfather, Wall Street, the list goes on. But one work of cinematic genius stands head and shoulders above the rest. A film whose sweeping cinematography and compelling storytelling single-handedly shaped my perspective of America’s first city. Of course this film …